4.23.2013

I'm turning once again to my trusty Childcraft Library which is chock full of great vintage illustrations from many beloved illustrators of the past.

The combination of photograph and illustration is kitschy and sweet. I have to say as the mother of four that I don't recall many photographic moments like this lol. Illustration by Eloise Wilken and photo from Tell City Chair Company.

This one isn't too hard to guess. Pen and ink work by Garth Williams with his distinctive gentle animals and characters.

This one I wouldn't have guessed. My first thought was Feodor Rojankovsky as the illustrator, but it's not. Anyone care to guess?

I also wouldn't have been able to guess this one, though I love his work. The illustrator is Nicolas Mordvinoff.

4.16.2013

This past winter I went on a reading jag. One of the books I read was by Nathaniel Philbrick called Revenge of the Whale. Although this book was adapted for young people from In The Heart of The Sea, A New York Times Best Seller, and longer version of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone younger than 13, some of the subject matter is very gruesome.

Revenge of the Whale is a true story about one of the most well known maritime disasters of the 19th century - the sinking of the Whaleship Essex by an enraged sperm whale in 1821. It was this horrific event that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

I've never read Moby Dick, but have seen it in movie form, one with actor Gregory Peck and the other with William Hurt. (Seeing photos from the two different movies makes me want to watch them again.)

4.12.2013

What is one of the coolest bridges in the world? It would have to be the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam. Recently unveiled, this bridge spans 1864 feet and not only looks like a dragon, it breathes fire and spouts water for special occasions. More than 2500 LED lights illuminate the dragon bridge at night.

The Dragon Bridge was built to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the capture of Da Nang by North Vietnamese during the final days of the Vietnam War and is a wonder to behold.

4.10.2013

I've been blogging since May 2010 and have enjoyed sharing my passion: the art and artists of vintage children's books, with you. The time has come to try and earn a bit of income from The Art of Children's Picture Books, as I can no longer justify the time without doing so.

My first affiliation is with ModCloth. I really like their fresh and modern take on vintage inspired clothing, shoes and accessories.. Recently some of their dresses have been on The Carrie Diaries, a spinoff of Sex and the City (which I loved!).

4.07.2013

The last week has been eventful, well kind of. Last Sunday I cooked Easter dinner for 18. Monday I rested. Tuesday I quit smoking. Wednesday I got sick. Since then I've been sleeping and laying around, turning into a blob. I'm starting to get bored, which I'll take as a sign of getting better. And for once getting sick was a blessing, it helped with the first few difficult days of nicotine withdrawl.

In The Quitting Deal written by Tobi Tobias and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, mother and daughter both have habits to quit. They make a deal to quit together and to help each other.

Holy Cow! How many vintage children's books do you see with a mother smoking while nursing, not to mention with other children and pets?! This

book is from 1975, but even so...

Trina Schart Hyman was influenced by the Brandywine era of artists such as Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. You can see this influence in her work, but she was also very contemporary and didn't shy away from illustrations that other's might not find acceptable.

Mother and daughter test several ideas: the holding hands cure, the talking cure, the candy cure, the comforting cure, the penny cure, the food cure and the next to last cure.

What I like about this book (besides the fact that Trina Schart Hyman illustrated it) is how the family lovingly supports each other. No blame, no guilt, no anger.

They understand for a person to truly quit an addiction, they need to do it on their own.

We don't get the requisite happy ending in this book either. Just a strong message of hope and support.

4.02.2013

Here we are with part two of the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. The resource for these images is The Library of Congress in the Digitized Print Materials from The Rare Book and Special Collections Room. Anyone can access this book and many others. The images are also available in high quality and can be printed out. That means you can print out a book in its entirety to read, use as a resource or even print out an illustration to frame. Nice!

W.W. Denslow's seahorse signature was famous. Incidentally, L. Frank Baum and Denslow had a disagreement over copyright issues, ending their work arrangement and Denslow did not illustrate any more of the Wizard of OZ books.

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Welcome

I love looking at the art in children's picture books and I hope that you do too. My blog focuses on the art and artists of vintage children's books, largely from the 1950's through 1980's. Please join me as we look at these treasures and the artists behind them.